Recommended by Zach Barr

Two deeply relatable characters and their richly drawn sibling relationship anchor this shimmering play about the agony and ecstasy of being "special." While the play intrigues with its live stage magic, at heart is a mature, unique discussion about the dangers of prioritizing lasting fame over personal joy. It upholds a forgotten history of female magicians, while reclaiming anonymity as a desirable outcome for one's life. Stage it today!

A gonzo comedic riff on documentary theatre, with a genuine message at its core about finding purpose in small things that may not ultimately matter – be it theatre or earmuffs. Balancing two portraits of communities making something from nothing, Peercy's script is a feast for any ensemble of actors, with jokes that come so fast you won't realize how deep they cut until a page later.

Simple on the surface, but brimming with rage and despair underneath, SAVINGS! is a story of how we move forward when the stability we relied on comes to an end. A Greek tragedy for the Amazon Era, a portrait of a community deciding whether to throw in the towel or hold onto the past for dear life, a human look at a corner of the country that is often ignored.

A play about consumption and being consumed and what happens when you get spit back out. Kime finds so many thematic angles in the nature of hot dogs that it's genuinely unexpected how the play manages to tie them all together by the end. But it does, and it's a humorous, terrifying, unabashedly loud ride. Enormous theatricality, and well served by a strong world premiere at Red Theater.

A play that is simultaneously enormous in scale and refreshingly intimate, unashamedly cringe and apocalyptically serious, angry at the whole world and trying to find the worthwhile center of it. One of the better depictions of the emotional whiplash of being a young person today, paralyzed by both the unfairness of the world and the unethical desire to escape from it all.

Wildly funny and theatrically turbulent, without ever diverting from its exploration of how cultural exchange shapes and warps identity. Izumi's play is deeply personal, while also leaving ample space for the viewpoints of future performers and audiences. The gonzo construction of the play keeps the pace moving quickly while still digging into some incredibly thorny topics – and, to Izumi's credit, she follows Kurasawa's advice and never averts her eye.

"Shouldn’t we be like, intervening?"
"I think she has to ride this one out."
Anello's harrowing play captures the riveting and frustrating cadence of friends who, in their attempts to speak candidly, reveal nothing at all. A portrait of grief and guilt, and a carefully tangled web of relationships that has no chance but to culminate in a wholly satisfying climax. A rich opportunity for seven very game actors.

Gwynn's reverent play finds unique parallels across the stories of two communities, protected in one land and hunted in another. Filled with music and queer longing (as all plays should be), it's an expertly paced fable of summer innocence coming to an end – or maybe evolving into something more mature. Rich opportunities for any production company, and well worth the challenge.

Faster than a buffalo stampede and slipperier than a Carolina rattlesnake, Halle’s rip-roaring tale of wanting, weddings, and womanhood makes for a gripping play. Familial shame, financial instability, lesbian urges, and animal husbandry are a lot to include in one play, but the comic tone and enormously likeable characters are the counterweights that guide the audience through. Get it into production yesterday. Giddy up!

WATCHED AT VALDEZ THEATRE CONFERENCE
An outrageously funny and sharp comedy about government paralysis and bomb threats. Its careful pacing is a welcome relieve to a 24-hour cycle of disasters, and its discussion of political reality vs. idealism feels both pointed and even handed. A rare treat of a Gen Z perspective on history.